IRVINE, Calif. -- Westcorp, the diversified financial services company whose principal subsidiaries are WFS Financial Inc. and Western Financial Bank, announced the appointment of Robert Costantino as the company’s chief financial officer and chief operating officer.

Costantino was formerly the president and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Credit of America, Inc., where he was responsible for the development and implementation of a comprehensive turnaround plan that helped return the company to profitability. He concurrently served as a member of the board of directors of the car company and the captive credit company.

Prior to Mitsubishi, Costantino was with Volvo Cars of North America and Volvo Finance North America for 17 years where he held a number of senior financial positions culminating as the company’s chief financial officer. Costantino is a CPA and a member of the AICPA.

"Robert’s experience is unique having been the chief financial officer for both a car company and a captive finance company," said Tom Wolfe, president of Westcorp. "He has real insight into both sides of the business. His proven leadership skills and industry experience will be invaluable to helping lead our company to its next level of profitable growth."